Ronny Markes for the second semifinal fight of the WSOF Light Heavyweight Championship tournament at the WSOF 20 on April 10, 2015. However, on the day of the weigh-in, Markes was forced out of the bout due to dehydration and was replaced by promotional newcomer Jesse McElligott. He won the fight via technical submission in the second round. Branch defended the WSOF Light Heavyweight Championship against Vinny Magalhães at WSOF 33 on October 7, 2016 in the main event. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Return to Ultimate Fighting Championship On February 15, 2017, Branch announced that he had re-signed with the UFC and expects to be scheduled to compete in the middleweight division for the promotion by May. Branch faced Krzysztof Jotko in his return to the UFC on May 13, 2017, at UFC 211. He won the fight via split decision. Branch faced former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold at UFC Fight Night 116 on September 16, 2017. Despite winning the first round, he lost the fight by a tap out due to strikes with 55 seconds remaining in the second round. Branch was scheduled to face Yoel Romero on February 24, 2018 at UFC on Fox 28. However, on January 12, 2018, it was announced that Robert Whittaker was pulled from the middleweight title championship at UFC 221 and replaced by Romero. Branch faced Thiago Santos on April 21, 2018 at UFC Fight Night 128. He won the fight via knockout in round one. This win earned him the Performance of the Night bonus. Branch was expected to face Ronaldo Souza on November 3, 2018 at UFC 230. However on October 19, 2018 It was reported that Souza replaced injured Luke Rockhold who was scheduled to fight Chris Weidman in the event. It was reported on October 19, 2018 that Jared Cannonier faced Branch instead. He lost the fight via technical knockout in round two. Branch faced Jack Hermansson on March 30, 2019 at UFC on ESPN 2. He lost the fight via guillotine choke in the first round. Branch was scheduled to face Andrew Sanchez on September 14, 2019 at UFC on ESPN+ 16. However, it was reported that Branch was forced to pull from the event due to injury and he was replaced by Marvin Vettori. USADA violation and release from the UFC In September 2019, it was revealed that Branch received a 2